Santner heroics as New Zealand end India's 12-year unbeaten run in home Tests

Spinner takes 13 wickets in second Test to deliver 113-run victory for visitors

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner is embraced by teammate Rachin Ravindra as they celebrate after their 113-run win against India in the second Test in Pune on October 26, 2024. Santner took 13 wickets in the match to give the Black Caps an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. AFP

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner celebrates after taking the wicket of India's Ravichandran Ashwin. AFP

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, left, and New Zealand's captain Tom Latham celebrate the dismissal of India's Virat Kohli. AP

India's Virat Kohli plays a shot before he was dismissed lbw by Mitchell Santner for 17. AP

India's Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrates his fifty. The opener top scored for the hosts with 77 off 65 balls. AP

India's Ravindra Jadeja made 42. AP

New Zealand's captain Tom Latham, left, celebrates with Daryl Mitchell after their win against India in the second Test. AFP

New Zealand captain Tom Latham is congratulated by India skipper Rohit Sharma after the match. AFP

New Zealand made history with their first Test series triumph in India as spinner Mitchell Santner's heroic performance delivered a 113-run win in the second Test on Saturday.

The Black Caps’ victory gives them an unassailable 2-0 lead and condemns India to their first home Test series defeat for 12 years.

New Zealand bowled out the hosts for 245 in their chase of 359 on day three in Pune, with Santner taking 6-104 – and 13 wickets in the match.

It marks India's first Test series defeat at home since December 2012, when Alastair Cook's England beat them 2-1.

Santner, who's 7-53 in India's first innings of 156 set up the famous win, rattled the Indian chase with six wickets on a turning pitch and trumped the hosts at their own spin game.

The left-hander bowled unchanged from one end, delivering 29 consecutive overs.

Ajaz Patel took the final two wickets and ended Ravindra Jadeja's resistance on 42 when the batsmen holed out in the deep and New Zealand celebrated to pin drop silence from the stands.

Before Saturday, a visiting New Zealand team had never won a Test series in India dating back to their first trip in 1955.

India bowled out New Zealand for 255 inside the first hour of play and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in his 65-ball 77 came out attacking to raise hopes of a miracle.

India lost skipper Rohit Sharma for eight but raced to 81-1 at lunch in 12 overs.

Santner took down Shubman Gill for 23 soon after the break to end a 62-run second-wicket stand with the left-handed Jaiswal, who powered on after reaching his fifty.

The in-form spinner finally had Jaiswal caught at slip, ran out Rishabh Pant for a duck and trapped Virat Kohli lbw, dousing India's chances.

Glenn Phillips chipped in with the wicket of Washington Sundar for 21.

India spinners Sundar and Jadeja shared seven wickets between them in the second New Zealand innings, with Jadeja claiming three of the five to fall on Saturday morning.

Sundar, a lanky off-spinner, returned to the Indian Test team after more than three years and took 7-59.

New Zealand made 259 in their first innings riding on knocks from Devon Conway (76) and Rachin Ravindra (65) before Santner took charge.

New Zealand have now won four Tests in India after their opening triumph was the first on Indian soil since 1988.

The series victory comes after New Zealand's recent 2-0 loss in Sri Lanka on a sub-continent tour, which began with a washed out Test against Afghanistan near New Delhi.

Tim Southee stepped down after the Sri Lanka defeat and Tom Latham took over as Test captain.